The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1887-12-08
Why Tumbisr. Were 40 Called

4 How many times a day do We nsc a wor,
wi,hou, stopping 10 think what IL means
Every day at luncheon aud al dinner VI
drink out u a tnmblcr. But |, Tor one
never thought Why The large glass lha
holds our milk or water was 80 called nn-
al, once when, happened TO have lnn'
eheon at All Souls College, Oxford,
All Souls is curious college. II has nC
students, or "undergraduates" as we cal
them In England. |, consists OF q msste
aud q number Of fellows men who hav,
taken their degrees, aud have distinguish
e2 themselves as scholars, There isa qua
int old rule in Latin, that says man to be
Fellow Of All Souls must be ''well born
well dressed, aud moderately good Doc
tor in singing =
There is no question nowadays Of sing
ing But Of good breeding aud good schol.
arship there is tAnd to be elected Eel
low Of All Souls is great honor.
onc Of the most distinguished Fellows
is Prof Max Muller. the great philologiss
who, though he is German by birth, aud
was net educated at Oxford, was elected to
All Souls as mark Of respect for his i'm
mense learning.
The Common ROOM" or the Fellows
smaller dining room, is dlightful old
place, woth its great fireplace, aud its walls
all wainscoted with black oak, while thro
the great window with its heavy stone
mullions You lock ont on TO ancient ivy.
grown buildings round quiet court
which is filed with a space OF velvet turf.
Ga the day Of which speak, Prof Null
Ter was giving luncheon ia this delicious
room to the charming and talented Prin
cess Alice. the wife of the Grand Duke Of
Hesse Darmstadt, aud second daughter Of
Qaeen Victoria. There were not o dozen
guests beside the Princess aud her husband
and'a very agreeable luncheon we had,
with pleasant talk on all kinds of interest
ing subjects,
But what excited the curiosity of all the
strangers present. was set OF the most
attractive little round bowls OF ancient sill
yer, about the size Of large orange. They
were brought round according to the Gus
tom of the place, filled to the brim with
the famous ale brewed in the college,
These, We we're told, were :tumblers,' =
and we were speedily shown how they
came by their name "a fitting lesson for
the guest Of philologistl
When one OF these little bowls was emp
ty it was placed upon the table, mouth
downwards. Instantly so perfect was its
balance lit flew back into its proper posi-
tion, as if asking to be tilled again. No
matter how it was treated --trunhled along
the floor balanced carefully on its side
dropped suddenly upon the carpet--up it
rolled again and settled itself with few
gentle shakings and swayings into its
place, like an India rubber tumbling doll,
your brothers and sisters delight in.
This, then, was the origin OF our word
'tum bier, at first made OF silver, as are oil
these All Souls tumblers. Then, when
glass became common, the round glasses
that stood on a fiat base superseded the
exquisitely balanced silver spheres, and
stole their name so successfully that you
have to go to All Souls and few other
old houses to see the real thing.
So do words, with the wonderful life that
is in them, change and grow and get fresh
full OF interest and teaching
and delight to those who think of them
Rose Kiugsiey, III Christmas WIDE AWAKE.